Excerpt from 40 Days of Healing: A Devotional Where the Disciples Couldn’t (Day 23)

I arranged this book differently than my first book, 30 Days of Joy: A Devotional. I’ve arranged this one by topic, gathering similar testimonies from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John so that we can compare them closer to each other. It’s surprising how such similar stories inspired similar but different devotionals. Over the next few blog entries, I’ll provide a few samples. Let me know what you think! (Please remember, “if you don’t have anything nice to say…” constructive criticism is always welcome, but negativity for the sake of negativity will be removed.)

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Excerpt from Healing Where the Disciples Couldn’t (Day 23)

Read Mark 9:17-27, Luke 9:39-42

This longer passage in Mark is full of some really good nuggets: healing, hope, and faith. Jesus healed the boy after the father asked for help overcoming his disbelief. There are two things that stand out for me: one, the lack of faith in the disciples which made them unable to heal the little boy; and two, Jesus’ statement that “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 

Just soak in that statement for a moment. 

“Anything is possible if a person believes.”

World peace. People healed. Cancer cured. Hunger eradicated. Education, free for all. Weapons no longer needed. Peace. Joy. Hope. All wrapped up in that one statement. Even as I write that I think well, that’s a nice dream, but really?

Yes. Really.

If we believe it is possible, then it will become so. We will find a way because we will see that there is a way. Yes, in this example the father believed Jesus could heal his son, but still had doubts and wanted to overcome them. I know it happens to me too; it’s a very human thing to doubt. 

But Jesus. 

Jesus is divine, and to have faith in him is to also have faith like him: divine faith; confidence. To know that because of Jesus anything is possible; we don’t have to worry about how it will be achieved. I love how all these bits come together piecemeal, creating such a lovely mosaic of hope, love, faith, and joy.

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If you liked this excerpt, you’re welcome to explore more by checking out the full book, available both as an eBook and paperback. Have a great day!